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A Beginner’s Guide to Slam Dunk Festival

Slam Dunk festival is a wonderful example of when a great record label has a really good idea. Starting out as a back-to-back set in hometown Leeds, Slam Dunk grew from a weekly club night to small annual festivals celebrating emo, punk, ska and the harshest metal the North was offering. Ten years later, Slam Dunk Festival has evolved to a colossal, multi stage mega fest that storms across the core of the British Isles on a three day warpath from it’s roots in the North to the very heart of the South. Slam Dunk has become an annual institution to punk and metal fans and is an auto-include in any self-respecting rocker’s diary. This year, Slam Dunk is taking place in three scenic locations across one marathon weekend of unfettered rock and Licklist is here to tell you how to best ride the lightning.

Last year, Slam Dunk hosted a an exceptional platter of pop punk, emo and ska on their mainstages to keep everyone and everything moshing during their ride across the country. You Me at Six, Reel Big Fish and Architects all headlined their respective stages. This year, 2016 is conjuring forth Vegas pop rockers Panic! At The Disco to mainstage each ridiculous fest with metalcore beasts Of Mice & Men blasting through sonosphere from their plinth on the Second Stage. Keep an eye out for punk/hip hop alchemists The King Blues on the fourth stage and for Brighton born Qemists on the DJ stage. This a properly eclectic mix of the kind of music that celebrates a kind of defiant and passionate love for their genre, so ensure you keep an open mind and book those tickets early.